Founding member of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, the group that alongside others metamorphosed into what is today known as Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and former confidant and personal adviser to the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Alhaji Mohammed AbdulRahman has described those calling Murtala Yar’Adua, a minister designate, a greedy man, as those who are really greedy.

Speaking in an exclusive telephone interview with Daily Sun at the weekend, AbdulRahman, who is equally a chieftain of the ACF, said that if those calling the younger Yar’Adua are not greedy, they would not have been hiding the ailing President from Nigerians several months after they lied to Nigerians that the President was recuperating.

This is coming on the heels of another blistering attack, launched at 84-year-old elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, by another Kaduna-based social critic, Major Abubakar Umar, who described the former special adviser to former President Shehu Shagari as one lacking in “morals and patriotism,” for making comments that according to Umar shows clearly that the Kano-born politician was serving a personal interest and not a national one.

Daily Sun recalls that following the appointment of Murtala Yar’Adua, nephew of ailing President Yar’Adua and first son of the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, there had been some disquiet within the family, with the ailing President’s group referring to him as a greedy man for opting to serve under Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
But in an apparent reaction to that reference, Alhaji AbdulRahman, who claims he is qualified to speak on behalf of the immediate family of the late Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, insisted that in case the President’s group does not know, but for the love and respect that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has for his late deputy, ailing President Yar’Adua would never in the first place have been considered for the plum job, adding that “except if they want us to believe that a call to serve is tantamount to amassing wealth, otherwise why should they call someone who is responding to a national call at this critical time of our political history a greedy man?
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This is really refreshing, you may wanna read more.

“In case they don’t know, I believe that Murtala’s appointment would help to redeem the battered image those managing Yar’Adua have brought to the Yar’Adua family. Because whether they like it or not, Nigerians are angry over this whole mess created by those charged with the responsibility of managing Yar’Adua. I think they should just go and bury their heads in shame.
“The quality of political discussion is very poor. People no longer remember yesterday. And when they don’t, we can’t chart a course for tomorrow. Those accusing Murtala of being greedy, what are they? Three years into their term, the things we are seeing call for question. We are not pleased with their conduct, and that is public judgment and measurement.

“In case they don’t know, late Shehu Yar’Adua is the reason for their being on national political stage today.
The cover page of Umaru Yar’Adua’s presidency was the late Shehu. So the president was covered with the integrity of the late Shehu Yar’Adua. People should know that eras come and go.
“If today, the son of a man who laid down his life for the survival of democracy is appointed to serve as a minister, the least I expect from the President Yar’Adua’s group is to pray for his success, and not to plot his fall, even before he takes off or try to vilify him. After all, most of the elder statesmen today from the North served as ministers and got government’s appointments in their 20’s. if they cannot push for it when they (Yar’Adua’s group) had the opportunity, I think acting President Jonathan deserves a commendation and praise for appointing a young man in his late 30’s to come and contribute his quota to the development of this country.

“They are claiming that President Yar’Adua said his presidency was not for the family but for Nigeria, fine, why didn’t they call that to work when they were hiding the man from us? Or is his health not Nigerian’s concern anymore? Yet they were playing hide and seek with a national issue. But now they suddenly realized his presidency was not a family thing but a national one. I think we should begin to agitate for their prosecution, for making Nigerians go through this experience.

“Come to think of it, are they saying a call to service means embezzlement. Well, if that is their thinking, I want to assure them that Murtala was not brought up that way. He has the best of training and home discipline from his late father and living mother. They should therefore keep quiet and leave the Yar’Adua family out of this. I am qualified to speak for them because I was late Shehu’s confidant and personal adviser.

“And on Masari, the former Speaker, I wish to state that taking into cognizance the changing conditions and character of our politics, where governors serve as ministers, former Nigerian leaders are called to serve in different capacities, rather than completely throwing Masari’s nomination out, a role should have been created for him to play, because this is a special time in our political history, as such we need the services of special people like Masari, especially if we agree that he led the House well under his leadership,” AbdulRahman said.
Meanwhile, Major Umar (retd) has described the latest actions of elder statesman, Yakassai, as a disservice not only to the North but the people of Nigeria.

“You see, I wonder what legacy the man wants to bequeath to we the younger generations. Don’t forget, this man is supposed to be 84 or so. And if at his age, some people are still using him, then, it is most unfortunate.
“And if you go and investigate, you will discover that the man is not doing it for free. He is not doing it because he believes in it. He is not doing it because he is patriotic. He is doing that because he lacks morals and probably because he may have been promised an oil block. And if that is correct, how many years will he live again to enjoy it? I don’t think the man should be taken seriously. Let’s leave it at that for now,” Umar told Daily Sun in a telephone interview recently.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/mar/29/national-29-03-2010-002.htm

Some real fireworks!!!
Thank God the real Northerners are speaking up at last!

Good you posted everything.

I just did not wanna play hide and seek with the spam bot.


He spoke with wisdom and insight. I enjoyed reading the article.

interesting